Forrest Smith of Kinston developed a device to expedite and reduce the risks of tobacco curing. Traditionally tobacco curing involved the tedious task of watching over fires built in tobacco barns. Smith's invention involved a tank with oil burners and thermostat to regulate temperature that cured tobacco faster and more evenly. He planned to install trial systems in fifteen counties before expanding his company the following year.

Edward Hyde was the first governor of the colony of North Carolina. His administration was one of the most disastrous the colonists had been called upon to endure in the New World. A revolt led by the former governor Thomas Cary and the Tuscarora Indian War filled his brief two year term with turmoil and violence.